John Hughes: filmography and biography

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

Few will remember the name of this, of course, a talented person, but his work is known to everyone who is at least a little versed in cinema. John Hughes, who died at the age of 59, made several successful films and wrote even more exciting screenplays. His personality has inspired and continues to inspire young authors and directors, and his contribution to the history of cinema, although not grandiose, is nonetheless significant.

Short biography

In 1950, in the state of Michigan, the city of Lansing, another talent was born, whose name is John Hughes. The father of the future director and screenwriter was engaged in trade, and his mother devoted herself to charity. John himself admits that he was a lonely child and had little contact with anyone, and famous musicians replaced his friends, since the boy was a fan of such performers as The Beatles and Bob Dylan since childhood. The family moved more than once, but Northbrook, Illinois, left the biggest imprint on the life and work of the future cinematographer. There he married his school friend, and the description of the city itself lay on the pages of hisscenarios. Then he enters the University of Arizona, after which he follows in the footsteps of his father in the trading business for some time. He also managed to work as a copywriter and become a master of advertising. He wrote a lot and often, and some of his stories were even published in a magazine. That was the first step on the way to screenwriting.

Screenwriter

Before becoming famous, John Hughes wrote some not the most successful scripts, the films on which did not find success. The first work that glorified the author was the painting "Sixteen Candles". However, the most famous tape in the scriptwriter's piggy bank was the beloved comedy Home Alone, which became the first in its genre that managed to earn such a huge amount at the box office. After that, John Hughes also became the author of the scripts for the three sequels of the picture, which could no longer repeat the former triumph. Almost all the famous comedy films that the generation of the 90s watched came from his pen. Among them are such as "Beethoven", "Curly Sue", "Dennis the Tormentor", "101 Dalmatians", "Flubber Jumper", and from the last - "Mistress Maid".

Director

As a director, John Hughes is best known for one of the best films about teenagers, The Breakfast Club, for which he wrote the screenplay. It is noteworthy that he completed it in 2 days. Over the next five years, Hughes actively shot comedy films, but they did not find the same popularity as the previous one. He is also the authorthe film "By Plane, Train and Car", the plot of which served as the basis for the film "Back-to-Back", filmed in 2010. All the director's works are distinguished by a light narrative, realistic characters and a happy ending. These include "Oh the Science!", "Ferris Bueller's Taking the Day Off", "She's Having a Baby" and "Uncle Buck".

Last works and death

John Hughes, whose filmography includes about fifty films, completed his directorial career in the early 90s. His last film, on which he worked completely independently, was the hit comedy Curly Sue. Starring famous actor James Belushi and young Alison Porter, in whose career this tape turned out to be the loudest. Hughes then continued to work exclusively on scripts, the last of which was "School of Survival" in 2008. Since 1994, John has protected himself from the outside world by stopping attending public events and giving interviews. Even as a screenwriter, he often worked under a pseudonym. In 2009, he visited New York, where he died on August 6 during a walk due to a heart attack. In addition to the widow Nancy Hughes, sons and grandchildren, he left behind a different legacy - his films, which have become classics of the comedy genre and will forever remain in the hearts of millions of people.